


Strangers on a Train

by Treaty



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awkward, Cas POV, Cute, Dean POV, Desire, Drabble, Ficlet, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Mushy, One Shot, Pining, Romance, Soulmates, alternating pov, fucking nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 05:16:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6598255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treaty/pseuds/Treaty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know that tension between you and that person you saw on the public transit that one time?  Well how do you convey to them that your white hot passion for them burns with the intensity of a thousands suns?...Ya know...without being too obvious about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strangers on a Train

He looked down at his book and then looked up to glance around the space in general. Castiel was travelling by train. It was filled with a good two dozen people seated sporadically around him. He glanced at the man with light-brown hair sitting to his right. He had been causing Castiel discomfort throughout the whole journey. He couldn’t tell you his name but there was something there between them; he could sense it. Like a need with a slight undertone of want. Castiel found that a bit alarming since he couldn’t recall having said more than a polite “hello” to the other man. Yet here they were, sitting next to each other in a cart filled with cheerful talk and laughter save for the charged silence between these two relative strangers.  
*****  
Dean kept leaning towards him, not making eye contact or conversation, simply enjoying his company. The few inches between them did nothing to keep him from wanting to lean in the rest of the way. He had a sturdy build, broad shoulders and strong arms. He seemed warm, inviting, and safe.

Finally Dean felt him staring so he turned to his unexpected traveling companion with a shy smile.  
*****

Was there a subtext Castiel was supposed to be picking up on? His experience with men was limited to that of simple acquaintances, never venturing into anything more, so he had nothing to compare the stranger’s kind gaze and lazy smile to. So Castiel just held his gaze a bit longer, staring into those green eyes until he suddenly felt a warm excited feeling hit deep in his stomach.

Desire.

He recognized the emotion. Castiel might technically still be a virgin but he wasn’t a prude. It still caught him off guard though, so he abruptly broke eye contact and turned back to his book.

*****

Dean had sensed something then, caught a glimpse of what he had been unsure of before. It had been the only reason for which he had been distant, given his travelling companion some space. But Dean recognized that look in the other man’s blue eyes...lips slightly parted, the rush of pink spreading across his cheeks. It was there, and now that Dean was sure of it he wanted to mine for the source of that expression and bring it out wholeheartedly.

He had to be careful though; he knew that. Dean had been keeping busy being observant. His travelling companion was introverted, reserved. He was a beautiful man but seemed unaware of that fact,or paid it no mind (Dean wasn’t sure which yet). But for all the stranger’s apparent charm and allure, he was too reserved, too green.

And perhaps it was that aspect of him, that innocence hidden behind his wise soulful blue eyes that drew Dean to him. He wanted to be the one to show his travelling companion the world, to be the one to break through his distant expression and see him blossom before his very eyes. Dean wanted to be the one to have that effect on him. He had already caught a small glimpse but that was all it took to instantly become addicted to seeing the stranger’s vulnerability. Dean now felt the need to protect it; to have it all to himself.

*****  
Castiel felt awkward. The man had suddenly started up a conversation with him filled with small talk. Castiel should have be able to easily participate but he found himself tongue tied. He didn’t want to come off as rude, but Cas was finding it very difficult coming up with coherent sentences. He was distracted. Wanting nothing more than to reach over and just touch. 

This surprised him. Sure he could appreciate a member of the same sex just as much as the next person, but this man seemed to resonate with him. Castiel was drawn to him, mesmerized by him. 

*****

This was a bit more challenging than he thought. Dean was trying to engage his travelling companion in conversation, to see if he could find something that peaked his interest. He wanted to see the stranger get enthusiastic about something, lose himself in the discussion, passionately ramble on forever on anything, just to get another glimpse.

He wasn’t getting too lucky. His travelling companion was just politely answering Dean’s questions with precise, short answers of his own. If there were a textbook example of pointless small talk this would be it.

Dean was running out of things to talk about, getting nowhere fast. The stranger was barely even making eye-contact, and if he wasn’t going to talk to Dean, then he at least needed to look him in the eye. He was craving his attention now.

Had Dean misread him? Was he making his travelling companion uncomfortable? The thought of causing him discomfort was not ok so Dean withdrew himself a bit, let the conversation fall off. He gave his travelling companion one final smile and turned his gaze forward.

*****

Great, Castiel had scared him off with his rigid personality. It wasn’t his intention...Castiel didn’t know how to act in these types of situations. Was the other man flirting with him or was he just being nice? How could he tell?

Castiel was frustrated now. Already he missed the low, rough voice. The ghost of the stranger’s smile teasing his mind’s eye. He had Castiel all in a fluster and he didn’t even know his name, had barely spoken to him. He was sitting right there and Cas missed him already.

Foolishness he thought. Castiel was being foolish. What would happen if he actually spoke back to him and made a fool of himself as he feared? At the worst the stranger would find Cas strange and avoid him for the rest of the trip. At best, the other man would humor his weirdness and Castiel would at least get to talk to him a bit more, maybe learn his name. 

What would happen if Cas sat there silently as he had been doing? Nothing. And wasn’t nothing the prompt for his little train journey, to avoid nothing from happening to him.

**  
Dean was feeling a bit down, staring at his phone, feeling a little out of sync with the cheerful ambiance of the noise filled train. It was a bit loud in there but not loud enough to drown out the little “um” he heard coming from his left side. He swiftly turned and found himself face to face with his travelling companion.

The stranger had leaned in towards him to be heard over the noise of the cart, leaving mere centimeters between them. His blue eyes instantly grew wide and the flush of pink returned, spreading across his cheeks again, apparently surprised at the sudden close proximity.

Dean smiled again, felt an internal shutter at the reaction he had gotten out of his travelling companion, on accident no less. It was more difficult getting a read on him than he initially thought, but every small victory was worth it.

The stranger didn’t elaborate on the “um” right away. Dean could tell he was trying to compose himself, probably rethinking what he was going to say. 

Dean waited, giving the other man a few seconds before responding with a simple “Yes?” of his own.

The travelling companion’s cheeks were slightly less pink when he finally answered back but his voice was just as quiet. Dean had to physically stop himself from leaning in to hear better.

“I didn’t catch your name.” was the stranger’s simple response.

Dean let out a small chuckle because as interested as he was in his travelling companion, he had yet to actually introduce himself.

Dean gave his name and the other man responded with his own. Dean took a second to repeat it to himself, “Castiel.” And his heart broke at the thought of not having known it sooner.

**Author's Note:**

> Recently found this draft of a little word vomit I wrote after having a dream about my huge ugly crush at the time so I reworked it into a nonsensical little fic. Are you feeling it now Mr. Krabs?


End file.
